5 tips for fast food fixes

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It’s the second week of the new year, and maybe you sense your resolve already going the way of the Michael Jackson glove (sorry Corey Feldman). After all, you’ve been good the last couple weeks. You’ve eaten bacon and eggs, and your 5-7 servings of greens, and what you’re hankering for–I mean really jonesing for– is some good, old-fashioned fast food.

Here are five do’s and don’ts for restaurants in the new year.

Don’t: McDonalds Big Mac. Even without the bun, the topping on this burger is pure, unadulterated sugar. Thousand Island dressing is not low-carb and will leave you hungry.

Do: Wendy’s Baconator. This burger comes in at only 2 carbs for its cheesy deliciousness, but aside from the bacon, cheese and delectable patty, there are no surprises here. Just toss the bun and you’re golden (like the arches, baby!).

Don’t: Catsup, sauce and relish. These contain sugar and can trigger cravings, even on your triple diple bacon burger.

Do: Mustard, mayonnaise, onion, tomato, lettuce and dill pickle slices. These are lower on the glycemic scale, and will accompany a cheeseburger without the impending blood sugar crash.

Don’t: Fries as a side. Yes, potatoes are a vegetable, but the carb count in these babies is collossal. You eat a side of fries and you’ve blown an entire amount of induction carbs for 2 days.

Do: Side Salad. Places like Wendy’s offer a salad as a side in place of fries. While the aspect of noshing on a Caesar salad might not seem as sexy as a box of potato bits, consider this: low-carb plans recommend at least as many–if not more– servings of vegetables than the food pyramid recommends. Blowing that curve on potato leavin’s leaves no room for better quality veggies.

Don’t: Diet drinks. The artificial sweeteners in diet beverages may just be toying with your blood sugar, studies say.

Do: Water or unsweetened iced tea. While some argue that caffeine causes the same, unstable blood sugar drops that aspartame can, studies also show that caffeine might prove as beneficial to type II diabetes patients. If tea is too bitter, bring your Stevia in packets.

Don’t: All you can eat buffet. The potential here is to eat as much as you can. It’s possible to eat too much of even the good stuff.

Do: Order from your table instead in an effort to limit quanities. If you don’t have that option, make one trip to the salad bar and pick foods you can identify as being patently low-carb. Remember that your stomach is about the size of your fist–not the tiramisu tray.